The Main Differences Between Analytics and Insights

So you decided to implement some analytics tool under your digital ecosphere.

More than likely you’ve come across Google Analytics as it’s a free and useful tool for every business and probably you’ve also searched for other alternative options. We think the tool is not the key factor: it is always the person who analyses the data and turns them into insights.

There are no perfect tools

First of all, there are no perfect all-in-one analytics tools. Why? Reason number one is a clear business answer: you can’t find any company to come up with a compact tool package for every need, but instead they sell major components as extensions to the software; hence, you have the tools of the trade. One analytics system will be ideal for monitoring your website’s performance; another one will be perfect for tracking your social media channels but you can’t have them together.

Reason number two is because the tools’ capabilities under the hood are different. Ever been in the situation where you measured the very same website’s very same metrics but with two different tools? You might have realized that a simple metric like page views can be entirely different. The reason behind this phenomenon is the internet. Some traffic is picked up as views on a tool but might be dropped out on another. There will always be incoherencies in data analytics. So overall, why should you worry so much about a tool, unless it does the basics for you?

“Bet on the jockey, not the horse.”

Once you’ve selected a perfect primary tool, like Google Analytics, you might be wondering: we need to analyze the data stream. As the “horse” does not matter here, you need to bet on the best “jockey” you can get: your analyst.

The digital analyst is your best option to get huge chunks of data sets and turn them into insights. Figures don’t matter unless they can be transformed into actionable insights, learnings, and takeaways. Most of the digital property managers are “just” well-off with their digital analytics knowledge, so they need an action plan drafted by the number to coordinate their work. No one wants to see a huge pivot table but everyone is curious on what we can learn from digital customer journeys on our website. Your analyst should be the best person to talk to on these insights. Getting the best analyst is therefore far more important than getting the right tool.

Independent thinking is the key to objective metrics

We’ve already talked about the benefits of having an outsourced marketing expert team. An outsider’s view of a marketing plan is so much more accurate than an internal team’s approach to a problem. With data, it’s even more important. Figures can be neglected and insights can be fabricated and even with our best intentions, expectations can distort our view.